By Vicky On Saturday, March 5th, the RCMP Musical Ride Stables are having an open house from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

This annual event raises food and funds for the Ottawa Food Bank. It's also a great opportunity for you and your children to see the world famous Musical Ride up close! Admission is free, however, donations of canned goods for the Ottawa Food Bank are always welcome.

We first went to this event last year, and it was a learning experience for the whole family! RCMP officers were on hand to answer questions on the care and training of horses. We got to see what a typical day would be like for an Officer on tour with the Musical Ride - everything from Ride training to mucking the stalls!

We were fascinated to see that above each horse's stall there were the names of its' parents and the birth year. We had fun walking around trying to figure out which horses were related!

The Musical Ride Visitor’s Centre and stables are located on the grounds of the Canadian Police College at the end of St. Laurent Blvd. North and Sandridge Rd. The grounds can also be reached via the Aviation Parkway. On site parking is free. The stalls are quite cool, so make sure to dress warmly.

Throughout the day there are also demonstrations and displays by various RCMP services and branches, as well as the Explosives branch and the Ottawa Fire Service.

There are many photo opportunities to be had with the mounted riders, Safety Bear and the RCMP mascot! On your way out you can stop by the Mountie Shop and the Musical Ride Visitors’ Centre too.